Lian Yu
by Rossuron
Summary: A deeper look into the island's early days long before billionaire playboy Oliver Queen would eventually become shipwrecked within its grasp. This ongoing series focuses on the history of the island dating back to the start of World War II in 1939 and is based within the Arrowverse television series canon.
1. Serum

Undisclosed Japanese military testing laboratory zone, Winter 1939.

It was an especially cold night. The wind howled outside and shook the steel girders of the dark laboratory. A flew snowflakes fluttered about outside as a maddening concoction finally came to fruition on the inside.

"Dr. Xu! Dr. Xu! We have done it!" An overly excited voice exclaimed.

The clicking and clacking of fancy dress shoes echoed off the white tiled floor. The man in a pearl white lab coat stepped with purpose as if sending powerful vibrations up each wall he passed. The man finally arrived at a stainless steel table with a myriad of test tubes and beakers, all with various forms of bubbling substances in front of him, except one. He brought a hand to his face and began to stroke his stubble-laden chin.

"Hmmmmmm," He pondered.

Out of all the colorful liquids in front of him, only one was the brightest. It also happened to be the only one that was settled too. Its gold color illuminated the otherwise dark room. The room didn't need to be dark for it to be alluring, either. This was the special serum Dr. Xu had been working on for the past eight years and it had all finally paid off.

"Is it... ?" The assistant attempted to creep back into the conversation.

Dr. Xu adjusted his glasses as he examined the vial with the mysterious golden serum in it. It only took a mere moment longer before the doctor had an epiphany.

"M-i-r-a-c-l-e," He spoke delicately.

"M-miracle, sir?" The assistant replied softly.

Dr. Xu raised the vial high in triumph. For too long his work towards this war-altering tool had consumed his life. All the pressure, all the threats, all the unsolicited visits from military officials at his home and lab and all the unwarranted attempts on his family's lives, including his wife and children, were all seemingly about to finally come to an end for he had done it. He had created it.

"MIRAKURU!" He shouted with uncontrollable joy, ironic to the destructive force he just created.

The tide of war was about turn but little did anyone know that this miracle, this Mirakuru, this serum, would leave an indelible mark on the world and human history as a whole.


	2. Directive

Japanese Naval Barracks, Summer 1939.

"Get Commander Fujimoto in here... NOW!" An authoritative voice demanded.

All that was missing was the slamming of his fists on the large mahogany desk in front of him for dramatic effect. In its absence was nothing but rising tension. The crinkling of leather was the only sound in the fancy military office as the high ranking naval officer leaned back in his chair. He was surrounded by fully uniformed men that stood at attention. The room was decorated rather professionally with poinsettias strategically placed about the floor and large hand painted portraits of various Japanese military officials hung along the wall. Finally, before another painstaking moment passed, a breathless military underling rushed into the room.

"Sir... here... is... Commander... Fujimoto!" The cadet blurted between gasps.

The large office doors swung open. A man presumed to be the one and only Commander Fujimoto strutted into the room. The mood certainly changed from authoritative and punitive, to cool, relaxed and loose. He wore a pair of flashy mirrored glasses, light blue dress slacks and a white button up shirt that could have been a little more buttoned up near its top. He made himself comfortable and sat in one of the chairs across from the intimidating man in charge.

"Commander Fujimoto?" The naval officer inquired seriously.

Fujimoto simply nodded as he crossed his legs casually.

"We... have done it," The officer declared.

Hearing those words made Fujimoto's ears perk up a bit. He didn't lose his cool, he never did, but he knew he was there for something serious, finally.

"We have the Mirakuru superhuman serum perfected, mass produced and ready for deployment. You will be our test mission. We will provide you with only a reservoir of the supply to take along the coast of the North China Sea. Once there, you will distribute it to our troops and turn the tide of war in our favor!" He spoke in an increasingly loud tone.

The glad-handed minions that surrounded the room couldn't help but get a bit inspired. Some smirked while others nodded subtly in agreement. It took a moment but Commander Fujimoto adjusted his posture, sat forward, rested his elbows on his knees, took off his glasses and stared at the naval officer across from him.

"I'll do it... on one condition. You give me the crew I want along with Nii and Yamada and it's a done deal," Fujimoto bargained.

There was hardly any time or care from the naval officer's end to bargain. He simply nodded and agreed to the terms. Fujimoto rose from his chair and bowed his head for a brief moment towards the naval officer and then departed. Once out of sight, the officers that lined the room began to mutter amongst each other.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! SILENCE!" The naval officer screamed as he finally slammed his fists on the desk.

Not even a pin drop could be heard after that. The naval officer slid his chair over to a black phone sitting on his desk. He picked it up with haste.

"Yes... the plan is set in motion. They'll be going to the North China Sea - Fujimoto, Nii, Yamada and their crew," He spoke rather timidly.

The other officers in the room were intent to hear what was being said to him from the other end of the line but were unable to decipher anything.

"Very well... yes... I am almost certain they will encounter it. They will encounter _purgatory_ ," He exclaimed before hanging up the phone.


	3. Purgatory

The North China Sea, Fall 1939.

The changing of seasons was in prime condition as waves crashed ruthlessly against the jagged, spear-shaped rocks of a certain curvy landmass. Thunder howled and lightning flickered as rain fell furiously from the clouded skies. The storm had been brewing for quite a while to the point where navigating such waters appeared to be much too treacherous. However, one Japanese military submarine, known as 'Kibō' or 'Hope' in English, was out on a far reaching scouting mission in hopes of bringing the highly coveted Mirakuru supplies down the coastline.

"How does it look out there?" Commander Fujimoto ordered from the main deck of the submarine.

The almighty commander marched towards Midshipman Nii who was manning the submarines periscope.

"It doesn't look too good, sir," Nii exclaimed with his eyes firmly glued to the periscope viewing pane.

Nii was putting it rather lightly for the commander as any halfwit on the submarine could've guessed the conditions were pretty treacherous outside due to the moaning of submarine steel bending and a slight jostling of the vessel as a whole. Even the jingling of glass test tubes with the Mirakuru serum in it was heard.

"Commander! I think you'll want to see this!" A third voice overtook all other noise.

A rather young looking cadet ran up to Fujimoto with a map in hand.

"Ensign Yamada, what are you talking about?" Fujimoto inquired.

Yamada cleared a space on a nearby table as everything around the crew seemed to shake with vigor. Yamada slammed the map down and shoved his index finger on a single spot. He pressed his finger down so hard that his fingertip turned white and hand began to shake.

"This is a map of the North China Sea and we are on a collision course with this island!" Yamada panicked.

The two helplessly gazed at each other. Just behind them sat three crates full of the Mirakuru. Everything seemed to settle for a moment. Had the storm finally stopped? Maybe they were going to avoid running aground on the island?

"Nii?" Fujimoto snapped.

Nii removed his face from the scope, looked over to Fujimoto and gave a glance towards him like he should brace for impact.

"EVERYONE GET D-" Fujimoto began to scream.

He was cut off midsentence as the submarine crashed into the unforgiving grasp of the _island_. Crew members were flung every which way and water cascaded through numerous vessel-fatal punctures. It was pure pandemonium as Fujimoto felt his neck snap back with whiplash. Yamada was sent flying and Nii was engulfed in waves. Fujimoto clung to the bolted down table leg closest to him and watched in sheer horror as crew member after crew member was swallowed by the water. He witnessed one crew member get crushed by various communication equipment and another get impaled by broken rods.

"My lord..." He muttered to himself.

Sparks shot out from the main navigation system. It seemed like Fujimoto was the last person at least on the main deck. He knew if he didn't make a move soon he was surely dead. He glanced back and noticed the crates of the Mirakuru were broken. Some of the vials had burst and the liquid was diluted in the water. He reached in quickly and grabbed a case of six vials yet to be damaged. He gripped them close to his chest, somehow managed to get to his feet and located a scuba mask and breathing apparatus from the emergency container. By this time the water levels had gotten insanely high and all Fujimoto could do was pray he could find a way to freedom. He dove into the unknown and let fate sort everything else out. 

* * *

Submerged in the water, the only thing that could be heard was a gurgling sound. Bubbles filled the quadrant of sea as the limp body of Commander Fujimoto slowly rose to the surface. The piercing realization of breaking the water's surface and entering the atmosphere shocked Fujimoto into a wakened state. Panic immediately set in. He flailed his arms uncontrollably but miraculously still held onto the case of six Mirakuru vials. It didn't take long for him to wash up on the rocky shores of the _island_. The weather had since calmed and it was daytime with little to no cloud cover.

"Errr... where... what happened?" He groggily asked himself.

Fujimoto gathered himself on shore. He was only able to rise to a single knee before noticing the cuts and scrapes along his clothes and body. He also couldn't stand because he had a broken leg. One glance seaward and he noticed half of the Kibō skewered by the sharp pointed rocks. He needed to look away as seeing his vessel destroyed pained him greatly.

"HEY!" A voice shouted from atop a grassy hill.

Fujimoto looked upward and squinted through the suns gaze. Dirt, sand and grit were pasted on his face but somehow, someway what he saw made him crack a smile. It was Nii who looked equally as battered and just for some more comfort, Yamada walked up beside him. All the commander could do was weakly reach an arm out to his comrades before passing out. Nii and Yamada rushed down the hill to tend to their fallen commander.

"Is he... ?" Yamada asked innocently.

"Unconscious, young man," Nii implied after checking his superiors pulse.

Yamada intertwined his fingers behind his head and leaned back on his heels.

"Just where the heck are we?" The young cadet spat.

Nii rose from Fujimoto's side and noticed the collection of undamaged Mirakuru vials still in his commander's grasp.

"We... are in _purgatory_ ," Nii exclaimed.


	4. Supplies

Lian Yu, Fall 1939.

"Almost there," Nii struggled to say through gritted teeth.

Yamada and Nii dragged the limp unconscious body of their commander along the forest floor. They had almost made it to what appeared to be a cave opening. Yamada clenched Fujimoto's pant leg in his left hand and the case of unbroken Mirakuru in his right. It was eerily quiet inland. Yamada couldn't help but have his head on a swivel.

"Just what exactly do you think is out here?" He asked Nii.

Nii remained quiet not because he didn't want to answer but because he didn't want to expend the breath and energy to do so. The trio arrived at the foot of what was indeed a cave. They each let go of Fujimoto's legs, laying him peacefully on the pine-needled floor. Nii dusted himself off.

"That map paid off," Nii noted.

Yamada somehow managed to hold onto the map of the local area after the submarine shipwrecked. It wasn't overly detailed but it showed some potential topography of the area.

"We should mark certain things on it," Yamada offered to which Nii agreed.

They ventured into the cave which wasn't very deep at all. It was more like a hollowed out tree trunk with stones protruding from the dirt. They began to set up camp as quickly as possible with what limited supplies they had.

"Pretty amazing place, huh?" said Yamada.

Nii nodded.

"Yeah... thought this place was only something from ancient folklore no one had ever visited before. Say, where did you get that map anyways?" He replied, placing a few containers on the ground.

"I'm resourceful. Seeing I knew we were headed through the North China Sea and it hadn't exactly been traversed too often before, I thought it'd be wise to grab a few maps from the archives," Yamada explained.

Nii's expression changed to an unimpressed one. He knew most of the maps found in the archives were non-vetted, potential wastes of ventures so why Yamada even bothered entertaining himself with that junk was rather baffling.

"You know, most of those maps are just fake props drawn up by idiots," Nii jabbed.

Yamada was looking at that very map until Nii finished his sentence. He quickly folded it up and shoved it in his pocket, somewhat embarrassed and on the defensive.

"Yeah... well... it got us here didn't it? Whether or not it's a prop; whether or not no one has ever set foot on this island before is irrelevant. We are here now and it is better than having nothing," Yamada struck back.

The banter died down between them as they finally got settled. Night was quickly approaching and they had limited rations. Fujimoto was prone on his back in the best bed the three of them had available. Yamada's stomach began to growl.

"We should try to hunt for some food," Nii directed.

"Agreed," Yamada accepted, "We have rations but those won't expire for a long time so we should save them for as long as possible."

Nii grabbed a bayonet from their supplies, unsheathed it, checked it for sharpness, and fastened it to his belt.

"I will go tonight. Stay here and look after the commander. Wish me luck," He said.

Yamada nodded as he watched his comrade off. The cool night air was invading their dwelling as Yamada gathered all the warm clothes they had and made a nest out of it. He stared at Fujimoto. The commander's face had a permanent grimace cast over it. Yamada grew concerned that his commander would not awake or heal at all. He shuffled himself in an attempt to get more comfortable when he accidentally elbowed the case of Mirakuru. It shook lightly and the sound of glass jingled throughout the cave. Yamada's attention shifted from the commander to the Mirakuru and back again.

* * *

Nii stalked through the thick bushes of purgatory, looking for prey. He stumbled upon a rabbit he had been tracking for a mile or so. He drew his blade as he crept nearer. He saw his opportunity to pounce but failed as the rabbit easily hopped away at the last second.

"Dammit!" He cursed.

He pushed himself up from the ground and heard a growl off in the distance. He stood impeccably still as no more than five feet in front of him was a feral wolf. Grungy, grey, and frothing at the mouth, the wolf eyed Nii as its prey.

"Whoa now, easy there fella," Nii reasoned.

He gently holstered his knife and extended empty hands forward innocently. The wolf snarled even more intensely. Nii knew he only had one chance to bail and he had to pick his spot carefully. He slowly walked backwards, creating distance between him and the wolf.

"Three, two..." He counted down to himself.

The wolf crept forward.

"One..."

The wolf lunged at Nii with ferocity.

"MOVE!"

Nii side shuffled just as the wolf came screeching by. The wolf clipped Nii's arm with its claw. Blood spurted upward from his shoulder as he yelled in pain. The chase was on as Nii, holding his shoulder, sprinted down the trail. The wolf was hot on his proximity and he knew he couldn't outrun such a savage beast. Nii caught a glimpse of a clearing ahead and ran towards it. He suddenly tripped over what appeared to be a wire. While grounded, all he could do was look outward at the wolf barreling towards him.

"This is it!" He prayed to the heavens.

The wolf made a final lunge as Nii covered his face and shrunk into the fetal position as a gust of air rushed by. One moment passed, then another, and then another. Nii slowly opened his eyes. He looked to his right and noticed a spiked log hanging from the tree branches high above. It swayed as if it had just hit something and it was plastered in blood and fur. No more than a foot from the item of destruction was the wolf, motionless and dead. Indeed, Nii had tripped over something that triggered the spiked trap to engage. He got up and looked around. Maybe the island had some form of inhabitants after all? Regardless, he was grateful for his lease on life - and the bountiful dinner that sat at his feet.


	5. Not Alone

Nii slapped the dead wolf carcass on the cave den floor. The thud of flesh and fur bouncing on the rock finish would have churned the stomachs of the hungriest people but both he and Yamada had gone so long without food they simply didn't care.

"Nice fire," Nii said as he noticed sparks sprout upward.

"Thanks. How'd you get that beast?" Yamada asked.

Nii smiled.

"Luck," He winked.

The much needed warmth from the fire hit him but he also knew it would come in handy to cook the meat he procured not too long ago. Both Nii and Yamada eventually had a mouthful of cooked wolf meat. It tasted bitter but they mowed it down for they weren't sure if they'd be lucky enough to have another bountiful feast let alone another meal on the island.

"What's the plan for tomorrow?" Yamada asked Nii.

"Not sure," Nii responded between bites.

Yamada, with drumstick in hand, gazed over at Fujimoto who was still unconscious.

"I'm concerned about the commander," Yamada expressed, "I was thinking maybe we should use a Mirakuru vial on him."

"NO! Absolutely not," Nii snapped back quickly.

Silence fell between the two as they continued to eat. Yamada still stared at Fujimoto as Nii stared at Yamada.

"Stop thinking about it. It's relatively untested military grade weapons material. The Mirakuru is meant for soldiers - front line ones," Nii qualified, "We have no idea how he might react. It might even kill him."

Yamada flicked the thighbone that was in his hand aside.

"Yeah but isn't it worth a try? The Mirakuru is said to have unparalleled healing capabilities and if that is that case, why must we leave the commander to suffer?" Yamada encouraged.

Nii stared a hole through Yamada. Sometimes he hated how youth was wasted on the dumb and ill-informed.

"First the map and now the Mirakuru... Give it a rest, Yamada," Nii instructed rather rudely.

Yamada sighed but didn't have a chance to respond as heavy sounding footsteps echoed towards them. It almost sounded like marching.

"Shhhhhhhhhhh!" Nii whispered.

The crackling of the fire was the only thing making a sound within their proximity until the footsteps grew louder. Nii grabbed a flare from the supplies and crawled from a prone position to the mouth of the shallow cave. It was dark and stormy out yet again as he noticed crew members from the submarine ruffling through the bushes. Some appeared disoriented while others were literally marching around, punching trees and pushing boulders like mindless barbarians. Nii stood and lit the flare up. Meanwhile back inside the cave, Yamada decided to take matters into his own hands as he reached into the case of Mirakuru.

"FELLOW SHIPMATES!" Nii shouted as the rain poured down.

The dozen bodies or so all stopped what they were doing and honed in on Nii's call.

"Wow. So many of you. I'm glad to see you all survived! Come inside the cave! It will be tight but at least we have some shelter!" He bellowed.

Initially, Nii thought he did the right thing by grabbing the attention of his shipmates. Unfortunately for him, not only did he just compromise his position but he noticed the herd of people turn simultaneously towards him in almost a zombie-like fashion. All their eyes had a strange yellowish glow about them. Nii's stomach full of wolf meat suddenly encountered a sinking feeling.

"Oh my lord... M-mirakuru!" He gasped, struggling to get the words out.

The infected Mirakuru shipmates must've come in contact with the serum when the submarine capsized and broke some crates holding the destructive force. The only caveat was that maybe some of the ocean water diluted the true potency of the serum. Nii pointed at the crowd in front of him, his index finger shook. For indeed they weren't alone on the island and Nii just gave his position away to what was his former shipmates, now turned into some form of Mirakuru super soldiers hell bent on one ideology - chaos.


	6. Chaos

Nii was frozen in fear as the group of Mirakuru-laced soldiers converged on his position. He thought his goose was cooked for sure until he noticed one crew member bump into another. Nii eyed them carefully and watched as they began to posture each other up through sheer ignorance. He seized the opportunity, grabbed a rock and threw it at the woods in the distance. The rock ricocheted off the trunk of a large spruce tree. The sound caught the attention of the back half of drones, which left Nii with about three or four to deal with directly.

"Okay, Nii, think! You can handle these guys," He muttered to himself.

The crew members that were postured up began throwing fists at each other. Their brawl spilled into the group of Mirakuru men that had remained undistracted until then. Nii scurried up the side of the cave opening in an attempt to escape when his pant leg was caught by an outreached arm of one of the crazed lunatics.

"GET OFF OF ME!" Nii yelled.

Nii kicked furiously at the Mirakuru man that had a grasp of his leg. He noticed the man had an emotionless face over pale grey, rubberish skin. The man's eyes lacked any iris or pupils and saliva slowly seeped out of his mouth in true zombielike fashion. Nii introduced the heel of his boot to the side of the man's temple numerous times before finally breaking free. Nii sprinted as fast as he could across the open field but he ended up running into more Mirakuru crew members.

"Of course," He justified to himself.

He was caught in the literal crosshairs as a full bore brawl broke out. Mirakuru men swung their fists wildly at anything and everything. Nii stayed low until he was grabbed by the collar and thrown into the air.

"Take this!" Nii screamed.

On his way down, he landed a solid dropkick to the chest of one of the men and attempted to escape once more. Instead, he was grabbed by his ankles and thrown violently against the ground. Easily concussed, his vision became blurry and he began to see even more Mirakuru men despite the fact they did not just magically duplicate. Dazed and confused, Nii thought he was for sure about to meet his maker. Grabbed by the throat and held high this time, Nii groggily looked around and saw nothing but unadulterated pandemonium - men ripping and tearing at each other, limbs being thrown every which way, blood splattering across nature's otherwise lush canvas, the howls of savagely corrupt minds and of course, the one seething at the teeth crushing his larynx with one hand. He was almost out of breath before he noticed he was let go. He crumpled down in a knelt position and wondered why none of the crazed maniacs were going after him anymore.

"Wh-what's happening?" He half consciously asked.

His eyes weren't deceiving him as he saw Yamada run through some of the men like a hot knife through butter. Yamada picked a man up and brutally broke his back over his knee. Then he turned his attention to a small group that lunged towards him. Yamada dodged a few attacks then hit various pressure points on three men, dropping them instantly.

"Y-Yamada?" Nii reached out.

Yamada arrived by Nii's side. Nii could barely see out of his beaten, swollen face but he noticed two distinct streams of dried blood that ran down from Yamada's eyelids.

"Wh-what did you do, Yamada?" Nii beckoned.

Yamada initially stayed silent. Instead, he held up an empty Mirakuru vial.

"Only five left now," Yamada smirked.

His voice had changed. It was much deeper and more intimidating. His eyes didn't glow like the others - they were full and determined. Nii had thought maybe the way in which someone came in contact with the Mirakuru dictated their reaction. Obviously, Yamada drank a vial, much to Nii's dismay. However, for the moment, Nii was at least thankful Yamada was there to save him.

"Get me out of here," Nii pleaded.

Yamada smiled once more.

"With pleasure," Yamada replied.

Yamada stood over Nii. Power emanated from his very being. However, what he had in prowess, he lacked in awareness as a maddened Mirakuru maniac waltzed up behind Yamada with an emergency pickaxe presumably from the submarine.

"LOOK OUT!" Nii cried.

Yamada turned and watched as the man in front of him readied the axe overtop his head but a piercing screech overtook all other noise before he swung. In fact, the axe holding man was blown away by a vicious shotgun blast. Yamada and Nii looked to their right and couldn't believe their eyes.

"N-no way," Nii stammered, nearly passing out.

Yamada nodded.

"Well... it's good to see you, sir," Yamada welcomed.

Commander Fujimoto, hobbled, stood defiantly with a smoking gun in hand.

"I just saved your life," Fujimoto proclaimed, "Something tells me it won't be the last time either."


	7. Herbs

"Follow me! Stay close!" Fujimoto instructed his comrades.

Nii and Yamada stuck by the hip of their hobbled commander as they navigated through the thick bushes and crazed Mirakuru men. They tried to stay silent but it was overly difficult. However, luckily for them, the Mirakuru maniacs were too busy ripping and tearing at each other to notice anything else.

"Why did you drink the vial of Mirakuru?" Nii scolded.

Yamada thought he was above answering.

"Tell him," Fujimoto chirped.

It was as if childlike tendencies within Yamada were emphasized in the moment as he pouted with arms folded as he continued to march through the bushes.

"I took it to protect everyone. You see all this craziness out there-" Yamada stopped in mid thought.

Fujimoto halted all movement. The trio looked on at a particularly vicious three on one assault. The sound of bones crunching danced around their ears. The craziness was indeed out there but what they failed to realize was the immediate danger lurking in the grass below their feet.

"OUCH!" Nii stammered as he reached for his lower leg.

His yelp drew the attention of Fujimoto and Yamada. They eyed Nii's lower leg and noticed a snake latched onto his skin. Its scales glistened in the sunlight as the muscles in his head pulsated.

"Get it off, get it off! This hurts so badly!" Nii squelched, trying to keep his voice down.

Yamada tore the snake from Nii's leg with ease but the damage had been done. The markings around the bite had already bruised and Nii instantly felt lightheaded.

"Kneel down," Fujimoto instructed.

The commander examined the dead snake Yamada crushed with his Mirakuru strength. Yellowish liquid oozed from the roof of its mouth. Fujimoto wanted nothing to do with it.

"Hmmmmm... venomous," Fujimoto concluded.

Nii broke out in a sweat not because he heard that word but because the fast acting venom was attacking his body.

"What can we do?" Nii's voice shook.

Yamada pulled out the map of Lian Yu from his back pocket and held it high in the air.

"Trust this and its information... I heard it was foretold that the island is home to many natural herbs that can cure poison!" Yamada exclaimed.

Unsure, Fujimoto had limited options but to at least put his belief behind what his Mirakuru induced comrade was saying. They began frantically searching the area for leafy medicinal plants. Neither Fujimoto nor Yamada strayed too far from Nii as they noticed the poison begin to cause paralysis to kick in already.

"Fujimoto! What about this!" Yamada called his commander over.

Fujimoto moved stealthily, as to not be noticed by any of the brawling lunatics. He settled beside Yamada and examined the purplish plant.

"Worth a shot," He decided.

Fujimoto made haste, grabbed the herbs, ran back to Nii, ripped them into fine shreds and force fed his fallen shipmate. They waited and watched as nothing seemed to happen. Nii's leg began to move just as they grew impatient. Fujimoto's eyes widened as he couldn't believe the herbs actually worked. Within minutes, Nii sat up and everyone noticed the bite mark was gone.

"Those are some herbs!" Nii remarked.

"We need to stockpile a bunch of them in case something like this happens again. This island obviously has many dangers - all unpredictable," Fujimoto said.

Yamada looked at Nii.

"Too many dangers... that's why I took the vial - even the playing field a bit," He finally answered.

The three of them procured a fair share of purplish plants as they continued their journey around the war zone. They weren't exactly sure where they were going but all they knew was that they wanted to get as far away from the pandemonium as possible. The ironic part was they'd have to leave the island entirely to achieve that. While Nii felt better, he was left to wonder about any potential side effects from him using the herbs or Yamada using the Mirakuru. It seemed the only one left untouched, in relative terms, was Fujimoto.


End file.
